Southampton are preparing for the play-off final against Leeds United following their 3-1 triumph over West Brom on Friday night.
St Mary’s was in a celebratory mood after the win that confirmed their place at Wembley, but for Russell Martin and his players attention has already turned to Leeds next Sunday.
Leeds will be confident, having won the second leg of their play-off against Norwich City 4-0 after drawing 0-0 at Carrow Road in the first leg.
Southampton have had the better of Daniel Farke’s side on both occasions in the Championship this season, with the final day win at Elland Road potentially giving the Saints a psychological boost.
Former Arsenal and West Ham midfielder Stewart Robson has been previewing the final on ESPN UK’s Youtube channel and has revealed why he thinks Southampton will be victorious.
Stewart Robson believes Southampton will beat Leeds at Wembley
With a 3-1 win over Leeds in September prior to the 2-1 win away at Elland Road on the final day, Southampton should be full of confidence.
They could also be boosted with the return of Che Adams and Ross Stewart, with Martin suggesting the injured duo should be fit.
Robson believes Southampton will be the team joining Leicester City and Ipswich Town in securing a Premier League spot for next season, as he predicted: “Leeds might start as favourites, but I just think Southampton will have enough.”
Robson went on to explain why he feels Martin’s side will win, saying: “They will make the pitch big, they will keep the ball and they will run Leeds ragged.
“I think Southampton are going to win the (Championship play-off final) and get into the Premier League.”
Russell Martin has decision to make on formation against Leeds
Saints boss Martin has a big decision to make tactically as he prepares for a second game with Leeds in the space of three weeks.
The 38-year-old has favoured a 4-3-3 formation over the course of the season, but sprung a surprise as he switched to a back three in the 2-1 triumph over Farke’s side on the final day of the regular season.
Given the success of the switch to a 3-5-2, Martin decided to stick with it for the first leg of the play-offs against West Brom before playing a combination of both the 4-3-3 and 3-5-2 in the home leg to great success.
Martin has been playing mind games for the last few weeks, firstly with the initial switch in formation, as well as by implying Adams would be fit for both semi-final legs when he was actually absent for both.
The good thing for Martin is that the recent change means Leeds will not know which shape to prepare to face at Wembley, so it is now just down to the Saints manager to decide which formation he will trust in the biggest game of the season.